How would you guys feel about Curtis Martin and a collection of other wealthy ex-athletes purchasing the New York Jets? At first I thought, "Hell yes Curtis, it's yours at a discount!" But would he have the resources to sink money into the team year after year? I'm not so sure. Maybe whimsical billionaires aren't so bad, after all.
I feel that a collection of ex-NFL players like Curtis would be a good boardroom to sit in regarding evaluating talent and getting the right players on the team. They would care alot more about championships because those who didn't win them in their playing days would want one as an owner. The dollars and cents portion of the business must be handled by someone else, and they'll find the laywers and such to do so. But to have Curtis as the owner of the Jets I would feel more comfortable with him than Mr. Baby Shampoo
Here's the thing about Curtis, and I love the guy, don't get me wrong here. He was always our workman and a consummate pro and a Jet for life... but he was never a fan of the NFL and always approached things as a businessman. I think that if he got into ownership of a team, he would approach it much like Woody does, in a detatched, business-only manner. He likes to make money, he knows how to make a profit at the bottom line (as evidenced by all of his restructures), and I don't think he would be involved with the team like a lot of people envision him to be. It's a romantic notion, but when the reality of this comes into play, I think it would be very different from what people would expect.
I wouldn't see his approach as being bad for the NYJ or any other club. I think the other thing he will do is bring his passion to win. While the guy doesn't have a professed love of the NFL, he's not someone who strikes me as willing to live with losing. I would think winning franchises are going to make more money than trying to nickel and dime an average so-so ball club too. I could see him being a much different owner just in the fact that he has a better knowledge and appreciation for the sport than Woody.
Im pretty happy with Woody as owner- I have no interest in having a bunch of former players form the ownership group of my team. Its bad enough I have to deal with their "expertise" as commentators once they retire (Marino, Boomer, Rice, Young). I dont want them running my team into the ground.
